To say that New Jersey has a bed bug problem is not to say anything. NJ HAS BED BUG PROBLEM!. Due to a large number of recent immigrants coming to settle in NJ and also being a most densely populated state in the US we have a bed bug problem. Though it was mostly eradicated in the United states bed bugs came back with vengeance few years ago with influx of travelers to Eastern Europe and Far East, where bed bugs were never eradicated and given a biology of this parasite pest, its resilience and survival ability, we have a problem on our hands. Visit our blog for more information.
Public transportation remains a major point of bed bug cross infestation. On August 3rd 2014 as NY Daily News reports, Transit Authority took trains out for fumigation due to severe infestation

ASSESSMENT OF A PROBLEM

Bug Bust Pest Control will assess and identify your bed bug problem to properly develop a treatment regiment specific to your dwelling. bed bugs have a unique ability to flatten their bodies which allows them to invade smallest of cracks. As method of travel they will use electrical ducts to move from place to place, thus spreading from one apartment to another. Initial proper treatment is very important and if treatment is done incorrectly it may exacerbate bed bug problem. Insects can become resistant to pesticides and follow up treatment may become more difficult and expensive. This is a main reason that do it yourself bed bug treatment is not recommended.

IMPLEMENTATION OF TREATMENT

There are several methods of bed bug extermination is available today. We will discuss pros and cons of each method to help a homeowner make an intelligent decision on how to proceed forward
Heat treatment: This treatment will kill bed bugs and their eggs by raising temperature in your house above 120 degrees for a period of time. Heat will destroy bed bugs.
Pros: This method does not require extensive prep. by a home owner
Cons: Very expensive and can run into few thousands of dollars per treatment. Can damage some furniture and electronics. Electronics should still be treated with a dry chemical approach and should not be subjected to to high heat. Heat can damage a glue joints in a furniture and this problem will not be noticed right away and can become an extensive costly problem couple of month down the road.
Freeze treatment: This treatment will require proper identification of bed bug location and using instant freeze to kill bed bugs. Usually dog is used to identify bed bug locations.
Pros: No Pesticide use
Cons: This method is highly unreliable, since it is almost impossible to locate all bed bugs and dog makes bats about 50 out 100. Also freezing unlike heat treatment does not always kill bed bugs, so there is is always a chance of re-infestation.
Chemical treatment: Chemicals applied to infested areas to kill bed bugs. Properly applied chemicals will penetrate cracks and crevices where bed bugs can hide and kill them.
Pros: Very effective treatment. Much lower cost per treatment. Chemical residual effect continues to kill bed bugs long after treatment is applied. Properly performed will only require one treatment
Cons: Requires diligent prep by an dwelling owner.

WHAT CUSTOMERS SHOULD DO

Clutter reduction is key to successful bed bug treatment regiment
Remove and dispose of items you no longer need
Pick-up belongings off the floor to reduce bed bug hiding places
All suspected bedding and clothes must be placed in plastic bags, washed in hot water and dried on high setting. This process will kill bed bugs and their eggs, since those items cannot be treated with chemicals
If certain Items that should not be laundered such as “dry clean only” clothing possibly can be treated by heating for few minutes in a clothes dryer, but always refer to a garment label
During warm season those items can be placed in black bags sealed with tape and left in hot sunny area for a period of few days. As long as temperature inside a bag can be raised above 120 degrees it will kill bed bugs and their eggs. Use thermometer to make sure temperature is sufficiently high close to the center of the bag
House cleaning although essential to other pest infestation does not offer any benefit regarding bed bug prevention
Thorough vacuuming with a brush attachment could be helpful but will not allow to get rid of bed bugs and will only be successful with a proper chemical extermination. Vacuum bag should be placed inside a plastic bag, tied securely and discarded at once.
To prevent future re-infestation a mattress and box spring encasement should be used after treatment. This will prevent any possible bed bugs or eggs that may have been missed to develop and survive. Encasement should never be removed, as bed bugs can stay without any food for up to a year, guaranteeing a peace of mind and a restful sleep. If you want to kill all bed bugs that have invaded your home, call Bug Bust Pest Control for a quick and safe solution

BITE IDENTIFICATION

Bed bug bitesIt is very important that a bite must be properly identified in order to determine if it's in fact a bed bug bite or a bite of another insect such as a flea. You may have a bite long before a serious infestation can occur. A single female bed bug impregnated outside of your dwelling can wait for a long period of time before it will find a host. Once fed bed bug will lay eggs and the cycle of infestation will begin. In most cases person will have more than one bite wound at the time. Bed bug will puncture skin until it finds a blood vessel it can feed off. So quite often there will be two or more bites along a line (usually where your body touches the bed) Bed bug produces saliva that acts as a local anesthetic, thus the reason you may not notice a sting while you are asleep. Bed bugs are not known to carry any type of virus or a disease, but can cause inflammation and severe allergic reaction, not to mention mental anguish. But remember that it will pass like a bed dream with a proper treatment for bed bugs. Over the counter Hydrocortisone cream can help to alleviate the problem.

PESTICIDES

In recent years some new product were developed that are very effective in treating of bed bugs infestation. In most cases infested furniture does not needs to be discarded any longer. Though there is no pesticide that is totally safe, these new products are approved by U.S. EPA to be used for a furniture treatment are very effective and if properly applied according to a manufacturers label are safe to use.

BED BUG INFESTATION AND CURRENT LEGISLATURE

When bed bugs invade apartment occupied by tenant, who is responsible for bearing cost of treatment? Currently the way law is written it allows for broad interpretation and many of those cases end up in a housing or small claims court

Recently introduced legislation in the New Jersey Legislature as Assembly Bill 3203 forces landlords to bear the total financial expenditure of treating bed bugs and making landlords responsible for performing annual bed bug inspections. Another requirement is to inform and educate tenants by distributing and displaying material related to bed bug control created by the state of NJ. Forcing landlords to treat all reported bed bug infestations in a timely manner, and to maintain a bed bug-free environment throughout the entire building or complex.
Citing the 500% increase countrywide in bed bug infestations and it's rapid proliferation and calling the bed bug "a public nuisance, it states, "it is a matter of public welfare to protect New Jersey citizens' health from this pest." Making note that landlords and management of multi-dwellings are "in the best position to coordinate the extermination bedbug infestations in that multiple dwelling," the bill requires, "Every owner of a multiple dwelling shall be responsible, at his own expense, for maintaining the multiple dwelling free of an infestation of bedbugs." Property owners who fail to respond could be fined $300 per infested apartment and up to $1,000 per infested common area. Local departments of health are given the authority to perform bed bug service and bill landlords who fail to respond in sufficiently timely manner.

Given the way bed bugs infestation exploded exponentially countrywide, this law makes landlords concerned of the potential monetary costs as a result of such legislation. In NYC, bed bug reports jumped almost six-fold from ’05 to ’08 with violations issued by Violations issued by the DHP Housing Preservation and Development rose by eight-fold over the same period of time. New York and New Jersey apartment owners are legally tasked with providing pest control for tenants. It's the apartment owner’s responsibility to provide tenants with an environment that is pest-free with-out much of exception.

Today, tenants are better positioned to win the litigation war against property managers and landlords, when bed bug problems are discovered, quite often both tenants and landlords point the finger and blame one another. "It becomes the issue of who is responsible,"

Under current and New Jersey and New York laws, property owners/managers are responsible and obligated to provide housing that is, roach-free, rodent-free and bed bug-free. Rodent and insects (such as cockroaches) control is obvious. Property must be maintained in a clean condition, proper garbage removal, etc, so there is a reasonable connection for regular pest control maintenance, bud bed bugs are different. Infestation does not occur because landlord failed to keep place clean, but simply imported, usually by an apartment occupants. And small property owners will eventually be forced to pass this cost into rental increases

Bed bugs differ vastly from other pests and are not attracted by dwelling’s filthy conditions. They are opportunistic parasites that can hitch a ride on its host around the globe without the necessity of a passport. They posses uncanny ability to spread from one individual to another by simple brushing of clothes with infected individual. They can be picked-up just about anywhere: Movie Theater, Mall, park bench, just about any public place and be brought back to someone’s dwelling, where infestation will begin. Some people are not allergic to a bed bug bite and may not know that they transferred bed bugs elsewhere.

Bed bugs “the invisible pest” are transferred by luggage, boxes, clothes and other means, which makes it difficult to detect. Yet landlords are responsible for treatment of bed bug infestation regardless of their ability to control this problem. Current ruling in Jersey City and other municipalities in both New Jersey and New York prohibit landlords to pass the cost of the treatment to tenants

The life cycle and survival ability of bed bugs only exacerbate the issue. A single female bed bug produces up to 400+ eggs during her life span, and capable of laying about five to seven eggs per day. Moving through five nymph stages, bed bugs can reach maturity in as little as five weeks. They nibble on their human or animal (pets) mostly at night, leaving a number of bites, that sometimes can be mistaken for other pests such as fleas or mosquito bites. Some people due to embarrassment issue do not report bed bug problem ant try to deal with infestation on their own only to make problem worse and bed bugs more resistant to eventual proper extermination and by the time problem is finally reported infestation through-out entire building may occur. Bed bugs will travel through-out electrical conduits and, ventilation ducts, cracks in the wall and baseboards to surrounding units, where they can wait for a prolonged period of time for their next chance to snack on blood. To successfully deal with this problem, tenants and landlords must cooperate, so a ground zero of the infestation can be determined and entire property properly treated.

BED BUG Q & A

Q. Can a bed bug bite cause a diseaseA. Although some people can have a highly allergic reaction to a be bug bite, it is not known to transmit any type bacteria or virus to cause disease.
Q. Can bed bugs invade my apartment from if my neighbor has themA. Bed bugs can spread throughout a residential multi-dwelling with relative ease. They can move through ventilation shafts, electrical conduits, cracks in the walls, etc,
Q. What can be done to bed bug proof my apartmentA. There is no 100% way to proof any apartment from bed bug invasion, but sealing cracks in the baseboards, sealing electrical outlets, and removing clutter goes a long way in reducing a chance for a bed bug invasion and infestation that follows
Q. Is it true that bed bug can leave without a blood meal for a very long timeA. Bed bugs can go without feeding for almost a year, and after finding it's food source (you or your pet) will become active and lay eggs that have been fertilized long time before this insect was brought into your dwelling

Q. If bed bugs found in my bed, does the entire home must be treated A. Given the nature of the pest, it can dwell anyplace you can. In your office chair, your couch, and anywhere else they can hide and be able to get a blood meal. It always recommended to treat the entire living quarters if you suspect a bed bug infestation

Q. What are the signs I have to look for to find out if I have bed bugs in my homeA. Well, besides the obvious signs like consecutive bites and blood stains on your bed linens, look for any residue like eggs and molted skins in mattress and couch seams and fecal spots under a mattress.

Q. If my neighbor's apartment has been treated for bed bugs, will they run to other places, like my apartmentA. Regardless on what type of treatment you choose, chemical, heat or freeze, there is always a chance bed bugs will spread from place to place (even before treatment starts. It is always a good idea to treat dwellings that surround infected apartment, usually one floor up and down and apartment on on ether side of infected place. This comprehensive treatment will guarantee a best chance of bed bug elimination

Q. Once bed bugs removed from my apartment what is the likelihood for them co come back.A. If place that is infested with bed bug is properly treated, current infestation should be removed completely. There are other factors that play a role and must considered to be successful total bed bug eradication. As described before, a major factor is whether other apartments are infested. If you travel frequently there is always a chance you can pick up a bed bug and bring it back home, hence a new bed bugs infestation.